Art of sustaining bodies in space



May 24,1927.

. E. KLAHN ART OF SUSTAINING BODIES IN SPACE Original Filed 0L 1, 1917 'A ram/5y S within same is a'second Patented May 24,1927.

UNITED STATES EMIL KLAHN, OF NEW VERNON, NEW JERSEY.

ART OF SUSTAINING BODIES IN SPACE.

Application filed October 1, 1917, Serial No. 194,211. Renewed October 20, 1926.

The invention relates to floating bodies such as gyroscopes or spinning bodies, suitable for scientific and industrial purposes, and more particularly to the manner of sustaining and of effecting the rotation of a suitable mass 50 that the same shall have perfect freedom of rotation, that is to say, he possessed of the requisite three degrees of freedom of rotation and, also, substantially free in spac e,being without material or other connection with the earth-the said mass constituting in effect a mathematical gyroscope. In carrying out the invention, I employ a suitable fluid, such as air, to effect the rotation of said mass as well as to afford the desired freedom thereof. A further object of the invention consists in maintaining the rotatable mass in predetermined relationship to another or secondary and floating portion of the apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings, which i1- lustrate the invention- Fig. 1 is an elevation of the improved gyroscope.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with the rotating mass removed.

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections of the apparatus illustrating the relation of the parts respectively'in inoperative and operative position.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts thruout the several views,

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a suitable base or support upon which rests, normally, a hollow, cylindrical body 11 or secondary floating member, the underface 12 of which is made substantially parallel to the upper surface 13 of the base 10, the two said surfaces being in contact (Fig. 3) when the gyroscope is not in operation. At its upper end, the cylinder 11 is concave to provide a depression, cavity or bowl 14:, which is shown of spherical outline and is accurately finished to receive a rotatable mass or primary floating member 15 shown in the form of a sphere, the same being constructed as nearly perfect as possible so that there shall be no preponderance of weight in any direction. A tube 16 projects upwardly and centrally from the base of cylinder 11, and tube 17 coaxial therewith and extending upwardly from the base 10, said latter tube communicating with an outside source of fluid supply (not shown), as thru a suitable connection 18.

The tube 17 thus affords a central passage way for the supply of fluid to the interiorof the cylinder 11, and the" entire cylinder is designed to be freely rotatable about-"the innermost tube 17 For this purpose, it is preferred to provide the said innermost tube 17 with an annular enlargement 19 designed to coact with an agate or other bearing 20 set into the inner wall of tube 16. A slight play is left between the annulus 19 and hearing 20, which will allow for oscillation of the cylinder 11 about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the vertical axis of the tubes when the cylinder 11 is raised off the base 10, as will be hereinafter set forth.

A narrow duct or nozzle 25 extends thru the upper wall of bowl portion 14 of the cylinder, being in the nature of a slit out preferably at an angle and displaced slightly from the pole of the bowl to directa stream of fluid tangentially against the mass 15 in the direction of its spin. The fluid thus received from the interior of cylinder 12 and directed thru nozzle 7 5 between the surface of the spherical mass or ball 15 and the bowl 141 causes the former to rotate at an extremely high velocity, and at the same time to provide an unconfined air cushion which serves to lift the entire m'ass (Figs. 1 and 1) an appreciable distance out of the said bowl 1 1'. The ball 15, therefore, is rotating with absolute freedom, having the requisite three degrees of rotation and is without support other than the said air cushion formed between it and the surface of bowl 14. In other words, the ball is, in effect, absolutely free in space and without material or other connection. to the earth. Furthermore, when pressure is thus applied in the rotation of the ball 15, sufiicient force will be exerted upon the cylinder 11. to raise the same off its base 10; and the said cylinder,

thereupon, also becomes entirely free fronr any material or other connection to the earth, having an unconfined air cushion between its lower face 12 and the upper-surface 13 of the base 10. It will be understood that "its motion about an horizontal axis perpendicular to its vertical axis is, of course, limited by the play between annulus 19 and bearing 20; but the said cylinder is perfectly free to rotate about its said vertical axis.

In order to retain the said cylinder 11 and ball 15 in a predetermined relationship to each other, one or more peripheral grooves are provided on the ball or mass 15, the one being located along the equator of said ball, and the others symmetrically arranged with respect thereto. In the present embodiment, three such grooves are illustrated; and by providing similar grooves 31 in the bowl 14;, it has been found that, when the two sets of grooves are displaced from each other, as in rotating the cylinder 11 with respect to ball 15, the two members are very quickly restored to the position where the two sets of grooves 30 and 31 coincide. In the case of the bowl, the grooves 30 need not extend entirely to the nozzle and are located, for example, in meridians of said bowl.

I claim: 4

1. In a gyroscope: a rotatable support member having an upper bowl portion; and

a free, spherical member adapted to rest and to rotate therein and solely air supported during rotation.

2. In a gyroscope: a support member having an upper bowl portion; and a free, spherical member adapted to rest and to rotate therein and solely air supported during rotation, said support member being rotatthe action of the intervenin ably mounted relatively thereto and having a nozzle to supply air tangentially to the spherical member.

3. In a gyroscope: a free, spherical member solely air supported during operation; and a member rotatable relatively thereto to supply air to the spherical member for retaining same in its unsupported, operative condition, and to efi'ect the rotation thereof, said rotatable member being provided with means to cause the spherical member, thru layer of air, to preserve its position relatively thereto.

4. In a gyrosco e: a base, a spinning mass solely supported during operation by air to have three degrees of freedom of rotation per se; and an intermediate rotatable supporting member for the mass.

5. A gyroscope, comprising anvair supported spherical mass, per so free to rotate during operation about two mutually perpendicular horizontal axes and about a vertical axis perpendicular to the'plane of said horizontal axes; and an air supported carrying member therefor.

6. A gyroscope, comprising an air supported spherical mass, per se free to rotate during operation about two mutually perpendicular horizontal axes and about a vertical QKlS perpendicular to the plane of said horizontal axes; and an air supported car rying member therefor free to rotate about a vertical axis.

7. A gyroscope, comprising: a spherical spinning mass, solely air supported during operation, and a nozzle member rotatable relatively thereto in a horizontal planeto supply air for effecting the spinning of said mass.

'including a bowl to normall 8. A gyroscope, comprising: a spherical spinning mass, solely air supported during operation, and a rotatable nozzle carrying member to supply air for efi'ecting the s innin of said mass, the former being provided with means to cause, thru the action of the intervening layer of air, the spherical mass to preserve its position relatively thereto.

9. A gyroscope, comprising: a rotatable sphere solely air supported during operation; a free y movable nozzle member, and means to support same, said nozzle member including a bowl to normall retain said sphere and the latter being adiipted, during operation, to be free therefrom and the nozzle member from its support, when air is zle member from its support, when air is' Projected 311111 the nozzle member to rotate said sphere, said sphere and support being provided with means to preserve, thru'the interven ng layer of air, the relative posit1on of one to the other. i

11. A gyroscope, comprising: a rotatable I sphere solel air supported durin operation; a free y movable nozzle mem meansto sup ort same, said nozzle mcludmg a owl to normall sphere and the latter being ad member apted, during operation, to be free therefrom and 1311621 nozzle -member from its support, when air is PIOJGCtGd thru the nozzle member to rotate with a groove corresponding thereto.

12. A g roscope,,compris1n a rotatable sphere so el air supported durin operation'; a free y movable nozzle mem retain said er, and

r, and

means to support same, said nozzle member including a owl to normally retain said sphere and the latter bein adapted, during operation, to be free there rom and the nozzle member from its support, when air is pro'ectedthru the nozzle member to rotate sa1 sphere, said sphere being provided with an equatorial groove on its surface and the bowl on its surface with a ortion of a groove to correspond therewit 13. A gyroscope, comprisin a rotatable sphere solely air supported during operation; a freely movable nozzle member, and

means to support same, said nozzle member I retain said sphere and the latter bein a apted, during operation, to be free therefrom and the nozzle member from its support, when air is projected thru the nozzle member to rotate 105 the said sphere, said sphere being provided" i with positioning grooves and the'said bowl said sphere, said sphere being provided with 14. A gyroscope comprising a rotatable sphere solely air supported during operation; a base provided with a central tubular portion affordin a supply of fluid; a hollow cylindrical member provided with a central tubular portion surrounding the said tubular portion of the base and rotatable about same as an axis, said cylinder providing at its upper end a bowl to receive the spherical mass, and having a nozzle extending from its interior to the bowl portion.

15. A gyroscope comprising a rotatable sphere, air supported during operation, a base provided with a central tubular ortion affording a supply of fluid; a ho low cylindrical member provided with a central tubular portion surrounding the said tubular portion of the base and rotatable about same as an axis; an annulus formed on the tubular portion of the base, and an annular bearing member secured to the inner surface of the tubular portion of the cylindrical member to coact therewith, said cylinder providing at its upper end a bowl to receive the spherical mass, and. having a nozzle extending from its interior to the bowl portion.

16. A portable ball-controlled instrument which comprises a stand, a pipe for compressed airpassing through said stand, a vessel adapted to be supported freely by said air upon said pipe as a guide, and a spinning ball supported and driven by said air inside said floating Vessel.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 28th day of Sept. A. D. 1917.

EMIL KLAHN. 

